


Christmas Presents

by DarkCorgi



Series: Don't Rock the Cradle [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Humor, M/M, Parody, Romance, Sexual Content, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-01-01
Updated: 2005-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 21:20:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10050650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkCorgi/pseuds/DarkCorgi
Summary: Severus is out hunting for that special present for his son and receives one himself.  Sequel to Don't Rock The Cradle and The Joy of Parenthood.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from SeparatriX, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HP Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HP_Fandom_\(archive\)), which was closed for health and financial reasons. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HP Fandom collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hpfandom/profile).

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I make no money from this story and I'm doing it because she writes too slowly.  
Advertisement: Part of the Slash Advent Calendar 2004 at http://www.kardasi.com/Advent/2004/SAC-2004.htm  
Note: This story is a sequel to my two Dusk Til Dawn stories, Don't Rock The Cradle and The Joy of Parenthood , though it can be read as a stand alone.  
Beta: Once again I bow to Magdelena for her willingness to read one of my rambling pieces. Thanks Lady!

 

Christmas was a few short days away and if any of the Hogwarts students were out and about on this particular day they would have met the oddest sight they'd ever seen. In the driving, frozen rain stalked a figure more at home in the cold dark halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry than the dreary, wet streets of London. Severus Snape the most hated teacher at the school was dressed in Muggle clothes and entering, of all places, a Muggle toy store. He was a man on a mission, and nothing was going to divert him from that task. 

 

Severus stalked the aisles full of garishly coloured boxes, cringing at some of those that closely resembled some of Albus' wardrobe. He was complete lost in the store and found what he was looking for by trial and error. He was dragging one of those blasted wheeled baskets the Muggles used as they shopped and the nuisance refused to move properly as he struggled through the crowds. The aisles made no sense to him as he wandered through the store.

 

He was going to get this toy for Xavier if it was the last thing he'd do. This was the fifth toy store he'd been in trying to find it. Harry went to France and Germany with Ron and Hermione earlier in the month in hopes of finding the toy there. They already deduced a way of getting it to work without Muggle batteries, but they were having the damnedest time trying to find it. All this fussing because he and Harry had to take Xavier to a Muggle playground. Of course they did it so he'd learn to interact with non-magical children, but they didn't expect events to unfold the way they did. 

 

It all started off well enough. Xavier wandered about the playground with wide eyes, while Severus and Harry trailed behind their amazed two year-old. The green-eyed boy pushed an empty swing that caught his eye and squealed with delight as it moved at his touch. Severus stood back as Harry carried Xavier over to a toddler safety swing and settled the young boy in the chair like contraption. Xavier's laughter rang throughout the park as Harry pushed the swing each time it came into range.

 

When the other children began arriving in the park, Harry lifted Xavier from the swing and allowed him to toddle towards the newcomers. At this point Severus was grateful for the rapid breeding of the Weasley clan as their mob of offspring gave Xavier a lot of company his age, not that Severus was looking forward to teaching them. At least Xavier would be able to interact properly with those children and not study them like the insects he found on a regular basis in the dungeons. Severus watched with a smile as Xavier walked to one group of toddlers to watch before trying to join in. At least Xavier wouldn't lack the social skills that Severus did at his age. After a while Xavier became bored with whatever nameless game the group was playing and he raced over to Severus and gave his leg a hug before treating Harry with the same. A blonde boy sitting off by himself caught Xavier's attention and their son trotted over to the boy. Severus and Harry moved closer to their son's location and settled on a bench and watched as he sat next to the other boy. The other' boy's mother sat on a bench caddy corner to theirs. She smiled and waved to them before turning her attention back to her son.

 

The little boy had a battery operated bauble that Hermione Weasley called a developmental toy. These toys supposedly had settings that could be changed as the child got older to help the boy or girl do more complicated tasks. Severus didn't see the appeal in those toys since all wizard made toys did that without any intervention from the parents, but Xavier found the bauble to be the greatest thing since chocolate biscuits. As the two played Severus heard his son chant, 'push the button' over and over to his companion and the blonde replied with 'you push'. Severus and Harry laughed as the two boys took turns with the toy. One thing Severus was glad of was the way they managed to keep Xavier from being a spoiled brat. The boy, like every child, wanted practically everything in sight and made no bones about letting them know that he wanted this, that and the other thing. Instead of giving in to the boy's tantrums they would note what he was demanding and if he still griped about not getting it when the next holiday gifts were exchanged or if he was being particularly good during an extended period, then they would get it for him. For the most part it worked rather well, though they did have stumbling blocks. The biggest one of all went by the name of Albus, who after all was just a big child himself these days. He'd fold simply because he wanted to play with it too. Minerva at least asked if she could purchase something on the afternoons she took him out to give them some time alone, thankfully Xavier got over his stage of only wanting Molly to take care of him, mostly because she wouldn't give into pleas for toys or candy. After all she had tons of experience with children and knew not to give in. Thankfully despite Albus' lack of will power when it came to Xavier, they managed to avoid raising another Draco Malfoy, much to the relief of both Severus and Harry.

 

Xavier was having loads of fun playing with his new friend and after a while the boy's mother came over to talk. Both boys squealed in glee as they managed to make the toy do something different.

 

"Hi, my name is Marie and my son's name is Michael. I was wondering if you bring your son here often." She said with an uncertain tone, most likely wondering which man was the boy's biological father. Severus held back a snort of amusement at the thought of what her reaction would be if she was told that they both were.

 

"This is our first time here at this park." Harry responded. "I'm Harry and this is Severus. Our boy is Xavier."

 

"Pleased to meet you, Harry, Severus." Marie said while shaking their hands. "The reason I'm asking is because my son has difficulty making friends and it's mostly my mother-in-law's fault. She's got some fool idea that he's better than everyone else. Why? I haven't a clue. If you come here on a regular basis I'd like to arrange to meet you here. I can arrange my job schedule to match if you do."

 

"I teach in Scotland during the school year, but perhaps we can make arrangements for a couple of Saturdays a month." Severus replied with a thoughtful look. There were things Muggles can get that wizards just can't. Having a real friend in the Muggle world would be a great advantage for Xavier in the long run. "Would that be reasonable, Harry?"

 

"I think it would be great. Severus has to be at work the last two weeks of August. How about the second Saturday of September, say around ten am?" Harry responded after a moment's thought.

 

"That would be terrific." Marie said, and she would have said more, but they were interrupted by a high-pitched wail.

 

"You! You freak! Get away from my Mikey-wikey! You're not good enough to be playing with my grandson. And keep you're filthy paws off his toys. Boys like you don't deserve expensive toys." 

 

Severus stared in horror at the woman and a few moments later recognition sank in. It was Petunia Dursley, Harry's blasted Aunt. How Severus wanted to strangle her, but before he could take a step towards her she turned around and laid eyes on Harry, causing another bout of high pitched yelling to issue forth.

 

"You! Can't you just go away, you little freak. Finally we get rid of you and you keep turning up like a bad penny. How dare you pollute my grandson?" She shrilled and Harry just looked at her as if she were mad, which she probably was.

 

"Mother! Enough!" Marie snapped. "You have no right to determine who Michael can and can't be friends with! I've had enough of your meddling! If you don't stop I'll be forced to get someone else to sit with him while I’m working."

 

"You can't be serious? You'd pollute him with their kind?" The older woman spat and Harry grasped Severus' arm to prevent him from drawing his wand and hexing the woman right then and there. Harry wasn't having much luck holding him back, but Xavier managed to stop him by demanding to be picked up and comforted.

 

"Their kind?" Marie questioned and then she went pale and turned to Harry. She looked closely at his face and noticed the scar on his forehead. "My God, you're Harry Potter."

 

"My sister's little trouble maker. Come Mikey. Let's get some ice cream. You need building up, you're just wasting away."

 

"I'm so sorry. Now you know why Michael hasn't any playmates." 

 

"Well see you on the second Saturday of September as we agreed." Severus told her as she was turning to leave. "If anything it will please me to no end to drive the old nag mad."

 

"That it will, if I don't kill her soon. If anything changes I'll owl you. I have relatives that are wizards and witches. One of them will send a note for me. Thanks." Marie smiled and turned away, determination evident as she strode to where he mother-in-law and son were waiting for her.

 

As they promised they met at the playground on a regular basis though Xavier wouldn't touch the toy. Once being told not to touch something he never would again. Something he learned quickly because of Severus' occupation. He would look longingly at the toy, however which is what led to Severus running around every toy store in Muggle London today.

 

Severus brought his attention out of his thoughts and resumed his search for the elusive 'Learning Desk'. More determined than ever to find the toy, especially since it would stick in the Dursley hag's throat that Xavier had is own expensive toy. As he wandered around the store searching for some sign of the electronic gadget, he heard a crowd murmuring in annoyance and he made his way over in hopes of finding out some information. What he found wasn't what he was hoping for. The store manager stood on a crate addressing the crowd of shoppers surrounding him. It boiled down to the fact that they didn't have any of the 'Learning Desk' and several other 'hot toys'. Even worse was the fact that they weren't able to guarantee if there were going to be more arriving before Christmas. Apparently the demands for the toys in question were so great that the manufacturers weren't able to keep up, since they weren't expecting them to be so popular.

 

Severus sighed and pulled out the small black notebook that he and Harry took with them whenever they went out with Xavier. Turning to the pages filled with Muggle toys that Xavier wanted he picked out two or three that the little monster still wanted and hunted them down. On a whim he picked out a couple of things for Michael that he thought the little boy would like and would annoy the living daylights out of his Michael's grandmother. He paid for the items and made his way back to Hogwarts. Luck was on his side when he arrived home. Xavier was already asleep in bed and Harry was waiting for him.

 

"I guess you weren't successful?" Harry asked as he helped relieve Severus of his burden.

 

"Not what so ever. The toy is so damn popular that the company can't make enough to keep up with the demand. The last store I went to announced that there may not be any available until after Christmas."

 

"Damn."

 

"Indeed."

 

"Why don't you head to the bedroom and I'll bring you a snifter of brandy?" Harry told him and Severus noted that look in his eyes. He didn't waste time answering his husband.

 

Harry walked into the bedroom with the brandy in hand as Severus was getting ready to slip his nightshirt over his head. Harry plucked the garment out of his hand and pushed him onto their bed, before handing the brandy to Severus. Severus gave his husband a curious look, which Harry interpreted correctly.

 

"Don't you think you've earned a little reward for slogging through Muggle London for the sake of our son?" Harry gave him a mischievous smile before working his way down Severus' body.

 

Harry tortured him with fingers, lips, teeth and tongue, sending Severus squirming all over the bed. Frustrated with need and with the fact he kept spilling his brandy; Severus set the glass down and pulled Harry up by his arms. He claimed Harry's mouth in a possessive kiss, making sure to leave not one part unexplored. He flipped them over to pin Harry down and took advantage of his longer reach to search through the night stand for the lube. He snarled when he didn't locate the jar. He was ready to bite Harry's head off when the younger man giggled. Fortunately he restrained himself since Harry had the heavy glass jar in his hand and he didn't wish to have it smashed against his head. He glared at his husband as he took the jar from him and quickly opened it. He quickly worked the lube onto his fingers and hurriedly began preparing Harry. They still had to work quickly since they never knew when Xavier would wake up. Soon enough the only sounds that could be heard were the hoarse sounds of their breathing, breathy moans, hissing gasps and the dull slapping of skin against skin. As they made love their magic flared between them, heightening their pleasure. Much too soon for either man they climaxed and allowed sleep to embrace them.

 

Christmas arrived and the Great Hall was a chaotic scene. Children ran haphazardly though the room while waiting patiently for their parents to finish breakfast. The majority of the mob of children possessed red hair and ranged from the age of four to 9 months of age. The only children that didn't fit the pattern were the four students staying at the school for the holiday and Xavier and mostly because none of the five had red hair. Xavier sat on Albus' lap bouncing with excitement and eyeing the mound of presents under the huge tree Hagrid and Filius set up in the middle of the hall last night. Gold and silver ornaments hung from the branches and fairies flittered wildly around the tree using their magic to change the light that naturally surrounded them into different colours. Soon enough the adults were finished eating and started gathering the children around the tree, but it obviously wasn't fast enough for the kids. Instead the adults were all forcibly dragged to the tree by the little ones and shoved into chairs.

 

Once the children were settled, Albus went to the tree and started to divvy out the presents nestled beneath the branches. Once the presents were set in front of their recipients, the children were given permission to tear into their piles. Paper flew everywhere and squeals of delight from the youngest children bounced off the stone walls of the Hall. Eventually everything settled down and the children made the rounds to thank those who gave them gifts before settling down to play with their new acquisitions, or at least that's what the adults thought. Severus observed with no little disbelief that all Xavier played with at that moment was the scraps of wrapping paper and the boxes his toys came in. Severus stood up and walked to the nearest wall and began to bang his head against it. Several people noticed his action and asked what was wrong, but Bill Weasley was the one to give voice to his problem.

 

"How many hundreds of galleons did we all shell out for these kids? How much aggravation we went through to find the toys they wanted? All they're playing with are the boxes and shredded paper!" Laughter followed Bill's rant as the rest of the adults watched the kids play dragon using the wrapping paper as wings.

 

The sound of an owl's call stopped the ringing laughter of the adults. The bird headed straight for Harry with a small package and a letter tied to its leg. Harry cautiously removed the note and package after checking for traps and Severus grabbed a sausage from the nearest plate to give to the snow encrusted owl. Harry opened the note and Severus read over his shoulder.

 

_Dear Harry and Severus,_

_Happy Christmas to you both. I hope this arrived in time for Christmas morning. The owl office assured me that the owl that was going to carry this would be there Christmas morning barring extremely poor weather._

_I know you must be gaping in disbelief that I'm writing to you, especially since I never gave you a chance when we were younger. Things for me are much different now then they were while you were living at Privet Drive with us. I finally found out exactly what you meant to the world you spent most of the year with. Dad died a year and a half ago and I grew up a lot as a result. As you already know I'm married and have a son the same age as yours. I was surprised when Marie told me she met you in the park over the summer and that your boy and our Michael were friends; a fact which brings me to the reason why I'm writing._

_I know it's rather late in the game to apologize for being a bastard to you while we were growing up, but I feel I must. After my dad died I realized how wrong he was, and I was, concerning you. When I met Marie I really learned that wizards weren't really any different from us, with exception of the ability to do some extraordinary things, especially when she informed me of how many witches and wizards were in her family. In fact, my youngest brother-in-law is in Hogwarts right now. I believe he's in his third year there. His name is Joseph McMillian and I think he's in the same house you were in, Harry. He's got red and gold stuff all over his room and it looks similar to what I'd seen in your school trunk._

_I'm truly sorry for the way I've treated you and I'm hoping that, if you'd like, we can start over and become friends. Especially since our boys have beaten us to the punch. Perhaps you and Severus (I can't believe you're married to a guy. You've got to tell me that story, preferably with Mum here) could come visit for tea before school starts up again._

_I heard about the incident with Mum and how much your son loved the 'Learning Desk' Michael has. Thanks to my wife's sister-in-law I have a job with the company that makes them. I hope your boy enjoys the one I've sent._

_Hope to hear from you soon,  
Dudley and Marie_

_P.S. Thank you for the thoughtful gifts for Michael. Mum thinks they're horrid, which means their perfect._

_D & M._

 

"Well that is a surprise." Severus stated as he finished the letter. He drew his wand and enlarged the package until it was the size of the toy he and Harry spent fruitless hours searching for. "Xavier, you've received another present. Come and open it."

 

Xavier opened the brightly wrapped gift and his eyes lit up when he saw what it was. The light dimmed as he remembered what Harry's Aunt told him.

 

"That one is yours and you can play with it whenever you want. It's from Michael and his parents." Severus told his son and was rewarded with a brilliant smile. "Daddy and I have to charm it so it works here, but you'll have to wait till later." Xavier pouted, but was quickly distracted as Charlie Weasley began swinging each child through the air so they could 'fly'.

 

Harry got up to give the now drenched owl another sausage. As he walked towards the table, Severus noticed him sway and he rushed over to steady him. 

 

"Harry what's wrong?" Severus asked quietly, but it wasn't quiet enough. Albus, Poppy and Minerva heard him and came rushing over.

 

"Harry, spill it. What's bothering you?" Poppy ordered as she pulled her wand from her pocket and began scanning him.

 

"I just feel a little off. I'm not nauseous or anything. It doesn't occur regularly enough to bother me." 

 

"How long has this been happening?" Poppy asked as she began another set of scans. By this time Molly and Arthur noticed what was going on and joined the group.

 

"Since Severus' last foray into London."

 

As Poppy did one final scan on Harry both Arthur and Molly began to clap in joy as they read the results over her shoulder. Poppy smiled at them both when she completed the scan. Xavier noticed and wrapped himself around Harry's leg as if to ward the medi-witch away from his daddy. He was no stranger to the hospital wing, much like both his fathers.

 

"Well, I must say that I have some good news for you both."

 

"Is daddy sick?" Xavier asked fretfully, misinterpreting Poppy's tone of voice.

 

"No you're daddy's not sick. He's just got one more Christmas present to give." Poppy answered with a smile.

 

"What is it?" Xavier asked, bouncing in excitement as his mood changed as fast as only a child can manage.

 

"You're going to get a little brother or sister, but they won't be here for a while yet."

 

"Severus, did she just say…." Harry trailed off in disbelief.

 

"I do believe she did." Severus smirked at his stunned husband. "Here we go again."

 

*fin*


End file.
